De Pere

De Pere (dĭ pēr) [key], city (1990 pop. 16,569), Brown co., E central Wis., on the Fox River; inc. 1857; De Pere and West De Pere consolidated 1890. A channel 20 ft (6 m) wide allows port traffic from Green Bay as far as De Pere, the last upstream dock. An agricultural and industrial center, it produces transportation and electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals, and feeds. A mission, founded there (1671) by Father Allouez, was burned, rebuilt (1685), and used until 1717. De Pere grew in the 19th cent. as a lumber town, port, and commercial center. St. Norbert College is there.